This invention relates to a ship propulsion unit comprising a propeller pod and a turnable shaft which is attached to the propeller pod and is journalled in the hull of the ship.
Propulsion units of this kind, which are known for example from Patent Publications CA 1,311,657 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,216, have parts subject to wear. Such parts are for example the rotation bearing by which the turnable shaft of the propulsion unit is journalled in the ship's hull, the rotation mechanism for turning the turnable shaft, and the sealing system protecting these. When the propulsion unit is installed in a ship, there is practically no access to these parts for maintenance, such as replacement or repair of worn parts, whereby the ship has to be docked or the propulsion unit removed from the ship for carrying out the necessary maintenance activities. Maintenance of such a propulsion unit is therefore time-consuming and may give rise to considerable costs.
The object of this invention is to provide a propulsion unit by which the above mentioned disadvantages are avoided and which provides for carrying out the necessary maintenance activities in a reliable manner and with simple means.